‘What is a Photocopier?': New York Times Dips Toes Into Viral Video Territory

“In 2010, Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Recorder’s office was sued for charging $2 a page for photocopies of public documents.” This might not sound like the basis for a hilarious reenactment video, but The New York Timesoutdid itself in capturing an exchange between the two legal parties as they attempted to define the word “photocopier.”

This video, part of a series called “Verbatim” where comedians act out ridiculous exchanges, was unveiled during the Times Video department’s pitch to advertisers at its NewFronts presentation on Monday. (NewFronts are Upfronts for digital videos, because that is the world we live in now.)

And yes, we are aware that we are giving away free advertising when the Timesdid native buys on Gothamist and TheAwl to host this video, which means we are just reposting this video without getting any of the Times‘ sweet, sweet cash money. Call us suckers (actually don’t, it will hurt our feelings), but we aren’t going to refuse to post good content just because it was sponsored elsewhere.